Tuesday, November 17, 2009

THL reader and commentator, Hans Mentha (whose flag I featured here earlier), sent me this copy of an appalling letter from Mitt Romney with Mr. Mentha's very appropriate response.

Here are the messages, Mentha's first:

Mitt -

These are not Republican victories so long as the GOP continues to support RINO candidates like Dede Scozzafava.

THESE ARE CONSERVATIVE VICTORIES of the grassroots movement.

Once we clean the Democrats out of office, we are coming after Republicans.

We are the people who vote NONE OF THE ABOVE to "party politics" and corruption in America.

When you run candidates who can articulate AND LIVE the message "I BELIEVE" (attached PDF), you may earn my vote.

Hans

Text from the attachment:

I BELIEVE :…have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of…Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully

1. An individual is the fundamental unit of human value, and society must be constructed only through appropriate aggregation of individuals.

2. The moral basis necessary for individuals to prosper in peace is completely defined by the “ideal laws for a civil society”:

Do not encroach upon others or their property

Do all that you agreed to do.

3. Negative rights, or rules against coercion, are the appropriate basis for establishment of relationships among individuals.

4. Natural rights, derived from 1,2 and 3, exist prior to establishment of law or government and define an individuals’ liberty, or freedom to:

Own, develop and dispose of property (products of labor)

Bear arms for defense of self, family and property

Establish free associations, contracts and self-government

Assemble, speak and petition to redress encroachments or breaches.

5. Capitalism is the only economic system that is compatible with liberty, and any attempt to incorporate altruism or collectivism is a violation of 1, 2, 3, 4.

6. Liberty can remain secure only if government is so limited that it cannot infringe upon the natural rights of an individual or the capital markets.

7. These United States should be restored to a limited Federal government as defined in the US Constitution and its’ first Ten Amendments.

8. Once restoration has been achieved, the Constitution should be reviewed and edited, to eliminate ambiguities of language and make structural corrections to prevent the re-growth of National government. Examples:

Explicit definitions for “common good” and “commerce” clause

Limits on the scope and authority of the Supreme Court

Establishment of term limits; prohibition of political parties.

Now Mitt's message:

Hans,

What a great election yesterday! It's exhilarating to wake up to headlines of conservative victories in the battleground elections in Virginia and New Jersey. The American people have sent a very strong message to the liberals in Washington, DC that big government is not the answer, and that conservatism is still alive and well.

With your help , we've been working hard at my Free and Strong America PAC to spread the core principles that are at the heart of making America a stronger nation and which fortify our party -- that a competitive America is one where taxes are low and government is small, that our military superiority must never be compromised, that our cultural values need to be cherished and that unleashing the power of the free market is key to our economic future.

We worked extremely hard on behalf of Bob McDonnell and the entire Republican ticket in Virginia, and helped him close strong with a full day of campaigning in the final week; in New Jersey, we endorsed Chris Christie early and made sure he had the resources to be competitive against his better-financed opponent; in Michigan, we raised money for Republican Mike Nofs, who captured a key State Senate seat previously held by a Democrat; and we worked tirelessly for our friend and ally Barbara Comstock, a leading fixture in the conservative movement, who won an uphill fight for a House of Delegates seat in Virginia, where she'll be a reliable vote for Governor-elect McDonnell's conservative agenda.

We didn't stop there. So far in 2009, my PAC has donated nearly $120,000 to candidates and conservative causes around the nation, including a last-minute $5,000 donation to Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman in New York's 23rd congressional district. I've given speeches at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the Club for Growth, the Values Voter Summit, the Heritage Foundation, the Foreign Policy Initiative conference and the AIPAC National Summit. Each of these events helped promote our shared conservative ideals and hopefully influenced the debate on the critical issues facing us.

We should be proud of what we have accomplished together; but this is no time to rest on our laurels. We must begin building upon these victories today to ensure that we have the resources we need to take back the Congress in 2010. Next year I'll also be traveling the country talking about my upcoming book, "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness," which will be published in March. I believe that the decisions we make today will determine what course America takes, and I want to make sure we remain the world's economic and military superpower.

Hans, will you stand with us by making a contribution of $25, $50, $100, $250, $1,000 -- all the way to the maximum of $5,000 -- toward this effort?

Republicans are well positioned to show new strength as a party this year. We will take that momentum into the crucial 2010 mid-terms. Our work begins anew. With you by our side, we are sure that today's victories are the first of many to come.